★★★★★ 5
A tale beautifully told!
Format: Kindle
That's what this was. Once again, Natalia Jaster spins a magical fable of passion and wonder, dazzling me with her poetic prose.
I've been looking forward to discovering this new world ever since the author announced her next series. Needless to say, I do not feel disappointed at all. Jaster's world-building is top notch, and the universe of Dark Fables unfurls before the reader in all its alluring possibilities as the story goes on.
Faerie lore in this book nods towards the traditional - Fae cannot lie but their deceitfulness is notwithstanding, Fae are immortal but not invincible, they love riddles, bargains and a good bawdy revel. Yet, there is an original spin to it, and I love how the Fae are portrayed by the author. Horrifically beautiful and just plain horrific, decidedly n o t human, yet not immune to the full range of human emotions and behaviours. Blue-skinned, covered with fur, antlers, wings and horns, they are not barely a mirror image of unusually pretty humans, only immortal. They're Vicious Faeries.
And I L-O-V-E it!
Then, there are the characters. Both Lark and Cerulean are extremely likeable - more than that, actually! Why do I even limit myself to these lukewarm expressions?! I simply adored them, Lark especially. She captured my heart with her free spirit and boisterous, daring demeanor. Together with Cerelean, they make for an intriguing pair, giving as good as they get. Their cat-and-mouse, human-fae, enemies-to-lovers dance makes for a deliciously captivating story.
Their love story has all the enemies-to-lovers goodness one can hope for, with a sparkly red cherry on top that is a mates trope done well. Personally, I've gone from loving to dreading the mates trope in recent years, but I'm still partial to it, if it's executed in a certain way. And I truly loved it here, because it leaned towards reinforcing the idea of choice being the driving factor in love and relationships, rather than fate. Yes, it was still magic, and involved serendipity and mythical bonds, but it made for a background to characters' actions and choices without overpowering them.
Lark's and Cerulean's battle of wills and hearts will wreak havoc on your feels, but it will do it while transporting you to a beautiful and treacherous world of Faerie. The wordy descriptions, alliterations and old tales paint a vivid picture of this universe, and I, for one, loved immersing myself in this world.
Natalia Jaster has this peculiar writing style - a blend of poetry with profanities, fancy old-time expressions fused with explicit ones. It has its own tempo, might be hard to follow sometimes, but it's so original and never ceases to amaze me.
It also makes me greedy. Just finished reading and I already feel this bookworm's itch to get my next fix, which is the upcoming book in this series. I cannot wait to read Juniper and Puck's story, as well as Cove and Elixir's. More than that, and I truly hope I'm not mistaken, I think what Jaster is setting up here is a part of a bigger universe. So yes, I want to get to know The Solitary Forest and The Solitary Deep. But Middle Country, the home to Vicious Faeries, is only 1/3 of the Dark Fables. So please give me The Northern Frosts and The Southern Seas as well. Elves, dragons and all the magic in between.
As for "Kiss the Fae" - what more can I say? This one gets a strong merry 4.5 stars from me. If you're a fantasy lover, I can only urge you to join Lark on her journey, to cross the border beyond The Triad into the Faerie, and walk along her through all the terrible marvels of that land.
"Don’t look down. Watch your step. (...) Lose your path. Find your way."
(P.S. As in, your way straight into the *online* store to buy this book!)
*ARC received from the author in exchange for an honest review*
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Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2020
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